Georgia and ancient Georgian and Armenian monuments on the territory of todays Turkey, the Black Sea, unparalleled beauty of the Caucasus mountains and hospitable people await you on this journey.
- Mtskheta and Kutaisi the antique towns in Georgia
- Ani the ancient capital of Armenia
- Biblical Ararat and mythical Caucasus
- Oshki and Ishkhani the ancient Georgian monasteries in Turkey
- Kars, Erzurum and Trabzon the important cultural centres in Turkey
Day 1: Departure for Tbilisi
Day 2: Tbilisi
Tbilisi sightseeing tour, visit the Old Town and the State Museum Treasury.
Day 3: Tbilisi Mtskheta Gudauri
We drive to Mtskheta - the ancient capital of Georgia and visit Jvari Monastery and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. Then we continue up the Georgian Military Highway en route visiting Ananuri Complex. Overnight in Gudauri ski resort (2200m).
Day 4: Gudauri Kazbegi Gudauri
A scenic drive in the Grand Caucasus mountains brings us to the town of Kazbegi. From there we walk to Gergeti Trinity Church located at 2170m. We then drive through the dramatic Dariali Gorge before returning to Gudauri.
Day 5: Gudauri Gori Kutaisi
We travel to the town of Gori and visit the Stalim Museum and Uplistsikhe Cave Town. Then we had to West Georgia. Overnight in Kutaisi.
Day 6: Kutaisi Bakuriani
We visit Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery and Academy and then continue to Bakuriani ski resort.
Day 7: Bakuriani Borjomi Atskuri Vale Kars
From Bakuriani we take a mountain train to Borjomi spa town. Here we visit Romanovs Summer Palace, then walk up to Atskuri Fortress and after lunch continue to the Georgian-Turkish border at Vale. After crossing the border we drive to Kars for a two-night stay.
Day 8: Kars Ani Igdir Kars
We visit the ruins of once a flourishing city of Ani the ancient capital of Armenia. Then we continue towards the Armenian border to visit Igdir before returning to Kars.
Day 9: Kars Isak Pasha Palace Van
We travel to Dogubeyazit en route passing biblical Mt Ararat the legendary resting place of Noahs Ark. We visit Isak Pasha Palace and Muradiya Waterfalls and then continue to the lakeside town of Van.
Day 10: Lake Van
We visit Hosap Castle and Cavustepe the centre of the ancient Urartu civilisation. Then we visit a carpet school and in the afternoon take a boat trip to Akdamar Island to visit the well-preserved Armenian Church of the Holy Cross. In the evening we return to Van.
Day 11: Van - Erzurum
Today we travel to Erzurum the capital of the East and visit Ulu Cami (Great Mosque), Cifte Minaret and Uckumbetler. Overnight in Erzurum.
Day 12: Erzurum Yusufeli Rize
On the way to Yusufeli we visit the ancient Georgian monasteries of Oshki and Ishkhani. We then travel to Artvin and Hopa along the beautiful mountains and arrive in the town of Rize on the Black Sea coast.
Day 13: Rize Sumela Monastery Trabzon
In the mountainous hinterland a short hike brings us to Sumela Monastery perched on a sheer cliff. We then drive to Trabzon and visit Hagia Sophia and admire its wonderful frescoes. In the evening we have farewell dinner with traditional Turkish dishes.
Day 14: Departure
Transfer to the airport.
